Finally, Muslim clerics start policing Bin Laden

Bin Laden fatwa

This is good news. Do you get why? For the same reason that the US can't impose democracy somewhere.

Change has to come from the people. We - that's the outsider 'we', the international community 'we' - can offer assistance, whether that assistance is money or guns or food or what have you, but that's it. The real work, the real change, the real commitment, has to come from the people who live there. Or, in this case, worship the same.

This fatwa? Spain has a large Muslim community, and this fatwa is supported by Muslim leaders from Morocco, Algeria and Libya. With it these communities are using the normal channels of their religion to discipline Bin Laden, to distinguish him from themselves, and draw the line that says "a good Muslim does not do these things".

This is important. This has the possibility for real impact.

Thanks to Green Knight for the tip.

The answer is "Yes"

May we call them fascists NOW?

On Thursday [a local business] was contacted by someone who claimed to be a "federal agent" and told that they were not allowed to display any signs critical of President Bush or his plans to dismantle Social Security.

Yes. Yes, you may.

I'm going to take this opportunity to also say:

Please don't let publishing this information online be the only "press release" this story gets. Call the local paper in Memphis. When we -- that's the Internet 'we' -- publish online, we forget that not the whole world (or local community) read the same blogs we do, or reads online at all.